New York City pets are often treated like rock stars, as many owners—er, human companions—stop at nothing to indulge them. If you've got a four-legged friend deserving of some pampering, we've got the best of NYC's pet services, from spas to playgroups to lifestyle brands. Yes, lifestyle brands.
NYC Pet Spa Services
Does Fido envy your club membership? Look no further than the Fetch Club, where he can spend the day or the week at the cage-free Penthouse, "order" room service from the restaurant, take a spin on the treadmill with a personal Canine Fitness Trainer, and then drop by the Club Spa to relax and rejuvenate. Annual membership is $300, with other services available a la carte; a bath for a 41-50 pound mutt is $45. How Mr. Woofy rolls when it comes to room service is up to him.
NYC Pet Schools & Wellness
Wag Club/Facebook
The Basic Obedience class at Brooklyn Heights' Wag Club runs an hour, lasts for six consecutive weeks, and sets you back $300 plus tax. Got a new pup? Jump into the club's Wine 'N' Puppies, a playgroup for young canines, held one night a week with booze for the owners—dogs can make do with water. If Miss Kitty is suffering from the effects of too many late nights, take her to Manhattan Cat Specialists, a full-service, feline-exclusive veterinary facility located on the Upper West Side. There are special wellness programs for mature, senior, and geriatric kitties to keep them as healthy as possible.
NYC Pet Styling
For fashion-forward pooches, Canine Styles, which bills itself as "New York's oldest and finest dog emporium," is a fine choice. Check out their shearling coats starting at $250 for a smallish pup. In the market for something a little more femme? How about a four-legged pink fleece track suit?
NYC Birds & Reptiles
If you're in need of a furry friend but want to skip the furry part, Fauna on Manhattan's Upper West Side has a large selection of birds, reptiles, and fish, and sells only "captive raised" reptiles and amphibians to reduce the strain on wild populations. Fauna also offers bird boarding services and in-home reptile grooming so your gecko can sport ultra-shiny scales. To introduce very young New Yorkers to animals, Fauna has a story club for tots and a Junior Herpetology club for older kids who are into reptiles and want to learn more about their habits and care.
NYC Pet Grooming
Moving on, if that lizard or goldfish you acquired needs medical care, turn to The Center for Avian and Exotic Medicine, the only spot of its kind in the city. No cats or dogs are cared for here, but the practice has specialized rodent and rabbit dental equipment and provides corrective beak trimming for birds and turtles.
NYC Pet Room Service
Distinguished dogs enjoy a stay at the D Pet Hotel in Chelsea, which has suites with flatscreen TVs where, presumably, guest dogs watch Animal Planet—Lassie is so '50s. The D has three dog parks, one each for large, medium, and small pooches. If you're too busy to deal with a drop-off, D-Chauffeur will provide pick-up.
Taking a trip and need to leave Fluffy behind? Many people trust their cherished furballs to Kitty in NY, where the staff matches your cat's needs and identifies the purrfect home boarding service where yours will be the only feline in residence. To keep in touch, periodically you receive videos and/or pix of your adored kitty. To minimize stress on your pet, instead of subjecting him to a visit to the vet's office (so plebian having to mingle with other animals, even from inside a carrier), summon Dr. Lavine from VetCierge, who provides full physical exams, microchipping, sick visits, health certificates for travel, and hospice care.
NYC Pet Shopping
Does puss need a tree to fully express her nascent jungle nature? Look into Kitty Mansions, an online store offering all manner of perches for one or more cats. The Hawaiian-inspired Maui model has three platforms, multiple scratching posts, a hammock for "lounging " and a house with a ladder, on sale for $179. Sadly, Buckingham Palace at $2,200 is currently sold out, so you should stop teaching pussums to hum Rule, Britannia. Jumping Bulldog, another online store, carries "human grade" pet food and treats. 'Nuff said.
NYC Pet Dining
The Meow Parlour in Manhattan's Chinatown is the first of the Big Apple's cat cafés where visitors book time to hang out and bond with the adoptable cats roaming around. Online reservations are a must. You can bring in treats, including macaroons and cat-shaped cookies, from the Meow Parlour Patisserie around the corner. Koneko, which means "kitten" in Japanese, takes $15 registrations for catnaps (yours, not the felines') and peddles Stumptown coffee along with Japanese pastries. If you and a tabby bond, you can fill out an adoption agreement.
Coming in spring 2016, Little Lions in lower Manhattan plans to open as the first cat sanctuary and teahouse, a safe space for human-feline bonding. Reservations will be sold in hour increments.
Pet Travel NYC
With the ever-escalating demand for first-class air transport of pets and animals of all kinds, Cargo Building 78 at JFK is being transformed into The Ark, a USDA-approved, 24-hour quarantine and care facility for anything with a tail, face, hoofs, and/or feathers. The terminal will incorporate climate-controlled departure lounges with food, water, bedding, and natural light to reduce stress on animals being held while their travel documents are processed; a veterinary hospital; a diagnostic lab; and a 20,000-square-foot grooming spa for cats and dogs that includes a bone-shaped canine pool. Due for completion in 2016; human frequent flyers need not apply.
